Why John Henry probably won't bail like Bezos on the Globe
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Massachusetts' own benevolent billionaire newspaper owner has every reason to stick around and almost none of the pressures that led Jeff Bezos to decimate the Washington Post.
Why it matters: There are fundamental differences behind why Bezos and Boston Globe owner John Henry bought a newspaper in the first place and what it costs them to keep it.
Catch up quick: Henry went from a data-driven commodities trader to a global sports and media tycoon as the principal owner of Fenway Sports Group, an empire that includes the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and other teams.
- He acquired the Globe in 2013 for $70 million, a fraction of the $1.1 billion the New York Times paid for the paper in 1993.
- Henry later sold the Globe's Dorchester headquarters for $81 million. The real estate sale offset much of the purchase price, giving the paper financial latitude.
The big picture: Linda Pizzuti Henry, CEO of Boston Globe Media Partners since 2020 and Henry's wife, opened 2026 by announcing the paper's further expansion into Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
- Around the same time, the Washington Post was cutting roughly one-third of its newsroom.
- The Globe is moving in the other direction, deepening regional coverage.
Between the lines: Bezos' much larger business portfolio and exposure to Washington set the Amazon leader apart from other wealthy newspaper owners.
- Government scrutiny of Bezos' other businesses created editorial pressure that local ownership simply doesn't face.
What they're saying: "The Red Sox do not depend on government contracts," Northeastern journalism professor Dan Kennedy told Axios. "I don't think he has those kinds of pressures on him at all."
Kennedy draws a clear line between owners who treat newspapers as civic assets and those who treat them like businesses, or even worse, liabilities.
- "It is the best-case scenario," Kennedy said.
Zoom in: Linda Henry's interest in and operational grip on the paper matters more than a simple ownership stake.
- Kennedy credits her with being "hands-on in the right way — she doesn't get involved in the news coverage," while remaining deeply invested in the Globe's civic role.
What's next: The Globe hopes digital subscriptions can scale across new local markets in neighboring states.
The bottom line: Henry's business interests don't intersect with federal power the way Bezos' do.
- More importantly, much of his local identity is tied to the Globe, so media observers expect him to stick around.